Quick Flexicolor question

Tony-S · Sep 9, 2012

I'm using the Flexicolor kit from Photographer's Formulary for the first time. The instructions mention no rinse between developer and bleach. I don't plan to discard as I go (tank development) so I will be reusing the chemicals. Will it harm the negs if I do a 3x 100F wash between developer and bleach?

brucemuir · Sep 9, 2012

Nope.
I do a rinse between dev/bleach to reduce carryover.
I've done easily 50 rolls using this method with flexicolor without problems.

stefan4u · Sep 9, 2012

I prefere a 2% acetic/citric acid stop followed by a 2 min wash step after developer.

You get 2 advantages doing this, better (lower)Dmin. and no overdeveloped bottom layers (in comparison to the other layers) due simple rinse.

Regards, Stefan

Tony-S · Sep 9, 2012

Alright, thanks much. I'll keep the 2% acetic acid in mind. Any experience on the number of 120/135x36 rolls per 500 ml? I just finished 2 and 3, respectively.

polyglot · Sep 9, 2012

I rinse in order to preserve the bleach, since it's the most expensive and longest-lived component.

Photo Engineer · Sep 9, 2012

Kodak recommends no rinse between the developer and bleach. They do recommend a 1$ - 1# acetic acid stop if you feel it is necessary for uniformity and the prevention of carryover.

PE

Tony-S · Sep 10, 2012

OK, a bit of a problem. I processed (1) a roll of 135x24 Fujicolor 400, (2) a 120 roll of Reala, (3) a roll of 120 Ektar, (4) two rolls of 135x36 Portra 400 simultaneously, and (5) a roll of 120 Superia 400. All came out well except for the two rolls of Portra (4). They have a brown color to the film mask. Is it bad to process two rolls at once? I used 500 ml in a Patterson System IV tank.

brucemuir · Sep 10, 2012

Tony, are you evaluating the mask color when dry?

Tony-S · Sep 10, 2012

No, looked at them after they were dry.

Photo Engineer · Sep 10, 2012

Ummm, Tony, your answer does not match the question.

So, moving on, a brown color can come from evaluating wet negatives, negatives that are underfixed, or negatves that are underbleached. (or all of these).

PE

Tony-S · Sep 10, 2012

Sorry, I looked at them dry. Dealing with fussy kids ATM...

The bleaching and fixing were done for 6:15 each, I'm pretty sure (just like the rest). So two rolls at once doesn't have an impact on such things?

Photo Engineer · Sep 10, 2012

If the bleach and fix are no exhausted, then the negatives should be OK, but if exhausted then the negatives could be brownish overlaid with the normal orange.

This is when dry.

PE

Tony-S · Sep 11, 2012

But if they were exhausted, wouldn't the last roll I processed (Superia 400 120) also have the brown color to the mask?

brucemuir · Sep 11, 2012

I haven't run any new Portra yet so I'm unfamiliar what the mask is supposed to look like but I'll tell you this,
I had been running a bunch of fuji for awhile and then ran some of the NC and when wet... I thought something was wrong because I wasn't ready for the difference in the mask appearance.

Have you tied printing the Portra? Maybe you just aren't used to what the mask looks like?

Another thing, are you replenishing? It's unclear your exact procedure but it looks like you may be stretching things (at least the dev) if you are running an un replenished system.

I run my system in a sorta "ghetto replenishment" where I pull my tank solutions from 1 litre bottles of working solution that I replenish after each 2 roll tank throughput. I don't have a densitometer and I'm sure I am getting some imperfections but they print and s*an fine without bad color crossover.

Photo Engineer · Sep 11, 2012

I'm not sure what is going on here, but the brown color indicates under fixing or bleaching.

Are they brown but clear?

PE

Quick Flexicolor question

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